William Dickson (RAF Officer) - World War I and Inter-war Years

World War I and Inter-war Years

Dickson joined the Royal Naval Air Service on 8 October 1916 and after completing flying training, he served as a pilot at RNAS Grain on the Isle of Grain. From August 1917 he was a pilot on HMS Furious where he carried out pioneering work, performing deck landings and taking part in the first bombing raid from an aircraft carrier in history. He was mentioned in despatches on 1 October 1917. He was promoted to captain in the flying branch on 7 October 1918 and awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 21 September 1918. Dickson spent the last few weeks of the War on HMS Revenge, having been posted there in October 1918, before taking up duties on HMS Queen Elizabeth in April 1919. He was mentioned in despatches again on 1 January 1919 and received a permanent commission in the Royal Air Force on 1 August 1919.

The early 1920s saw Dickson transfer rapidly from one post to another. In March 1920 he was appointed to the staff at RAF Gosport and two months later he was appointed as a pilot on No. 210 Squadron which was based at Gosport and had recently been reformed. Just under a year later in April 1921, Dickson returned to sea on board the aircraft carrier HMS Argus and in January 1922 Dickson was sent to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough where he served as a test pilot. He was awarded the Air Force Cross on 3 June 1922 and promoted to flight lieutenant on 30 June 1922. It was not until 1923 that Dickson's career became more settled. In May he was appointed the Personal Advisor to the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff and Director of Operations and Intelligence, Air Commodore John Steel and he remained in this post until July 1926 when he was removed from duties for three weeks due to illness following a motor-cycle accident. He was posted to No. 56 Squadron at RAF Biggin Hill as a flight commander later that month. He attended the RAF Staff College in Autumn 1927 remaining there as a supernumerary officer during the whole of the following year.

Dickson was posted to the staff at No. 1 (Indian Wing) Station at RAF Kohat in February 1929 and found himself flying missions over the North West Frontier. In April 1930 he became Personal Assistant to the Air Officer Commanding RAF India. Promoted to squadron leader on 5 November 1930, he remained on the staff at RAF India and was mentioned in despatches again on 26 June 1931. Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1934 Birthday Honours, he joined the air staff at Headquarters Western Area in September 1934. He was appointed Officer Commanding No. 25 Squadron at RAF Hawkinge in January 1935 and then joined the Directing Staff at the RAF Staff College in March 1936. He was promoted to wing commander on 1 January 1937 and attended Imperial Defence College in Spring 1939.